“I thought Park was taking kind of a long time,” said Dee. “He’s fussy, but not quiteto that level. Then I heard shouting. So I tried opening the door, and when it wouldn’t budge, I tried breaking it down, but shit is made out of steel or something, because I can’t even budge it.”
Gavin peered at the lock. To the uniformed cop, who from what Jackson could tell was just standing around being useless, Gavin said, “Get Lacey. Run, don’t walk.”
The cop took off.
“It’snot just the lock,” Dee said. “He’s got the other side barricaded in some way.”
“Okay.” Gavin stood up and stood back. Then he yelled, “Park? You in there?”
No sound came from the bathroom for a long moment. Then “Tucker!” rang through the door. Park’s voice sounded strained and raspy, but at least he was in there and he was alive.
“Park!” Jackson shouted back.
Gavin turned aroundand glared at Jackson. “Shut up and stand back.”
Lacey walked over then, her heels clacking on the linoleum floor. She had five cops with her. “What’s the situation?”
“From what we can tell,” Gavin said, speaking quickly, “Tucker and Park are in this room. Locked door, some kind of barricade. It’s not clear what kind of danger Park is in, but I think it’s safe to assume this could go verybadly.”
“You have to get in there,” said Jackson. His pulse raced and his heart pounded, and part of him wanted to kick the door down himself, though he stayed back as per Gavin’s orders. This situation would kill him, though, and not knowing what Tucker was doing to Park terrified him.
Gavin held up a hand. “Lacey, this is Jackson Kane. Defense attorney and presently a thorn in my side.”
“Maybe don’t make jokes,” Jackson said.
“Who’s joking?” said Gavin.
Lacey produced a black plastic case and pulled a long, skinny tool from it. She knelt in front of the lock and inserted the tool. She jimmied it until it clicked. “Unlocked,” she said. Then she stood and turned the knob. She got the door open about an inch before it hit some kind of barrier.
Gavin pressed on thedoor. Whatever blocked it didn’t move. “If we got some weight on it, maybe...”
“Let me try,” said Dee.
“Go to town, Derek.” Gavin stepped out of the way.
“No!” howled a voice from inside the room. Not Park. “No, this is not how this ends!”
“He has a gun!” screamed Park.
Jackson stopped breathing. Everything went gray around the edges and the world began to swim around him.All activity ceased as Gavin, Dee, and Lacey stared at each other.
Despite everything, Jackson once again loved Park with his whole heart. His principles, his need for professional distance, for propriety, they all stopped mattering. He’d tasted what he could have with Park again, and he needed it like he needed to breathe. It was foolish, he was bound to get hurt again, but it didn’t matter.Jackson’s very life was trapped on the other side of that door, and someone was determined to ruin it. He couldn’t stand idly by, though he understood that his instinct to rush the room could very well get Park—and himself—killed. But he decided in that quiet, still moment that, if Park got out of this damned men’s room, he would do whatever he could to keep Park in his life. Because Park wasit for him. The reason it had taken so long to get over Park, the reason that effort had not been entirely successful, was that Park had once meant more to him than any single other human being on the planet, and nothing would ever change that. Some part of Jackson’s heart had belonged to Park from the first moment they’d met. Now Park had the whole of it.
Jackson stepped back until his backcollided with the wall opposite the men’s room door. He slid to the floor and cradled his head in his hands.
“Jack?” Gavin asked.
“Please just get him out.” His voice was wobbly. “Please. I need him to come out of that room whole and alive.”
“All right. Plan.” Gavin pulled Lacey, Dee, and one of the uniforms into a huddle.
Jackson didn’t hear what they said, and instead sat onthe floor contemplating worst-case scenarios, wondering how he’d get on with his life if Park didn’t come out of this alive, wondering if Tucker really had it in him to kill Park, wondering how Jackson would ever live without Park again. Cold sweat broke out all over his body and his stomach churned. He needed Park back in a tangible way, needed to hold him again, needed to take back some of the thingshe’d said and say all the things he hadn’t.
Gavin broke the huddle and then walked over to a pair of the uniforms. They nodded and went into the ladies’ room. Then Gavin pointed to Dee. Through the door, he called, “Mr. Tucker! We can end all this peaceably. Come out here and talk to us.”
“No! I finally have my time with Parker. I’m not going to waste it talking to you.”
Jackson’sheart pounded so hard he could hear it.
